Research Investigator
Associate Professor of Criminology at University of Illinois at Chicago
Introduction
I have devoted my career to examining how criminal legal system involvement and stigmatization shapes the health of individuals, especially women. This started back in college when I was exposed to issues of incarceration and how it impacts familial systems. Embedded in these interests, I then obtained a dual masters in Social Work and Public Policy in 2005, and then later a PhD in Social Service Administration and Social Welfare in 2013- all from the University of Chicago. This multidisciplinary training undergirds my extensive practice and community organizing experiences working with individuals who navigate justice involvement, as well my work with the agencies charged with supporting their community reintegration.
Details
Currently, I have multiple projects. I am a Co- Principal Research Investigator on a project entitled “The effects of hyper-surveillance on health and well-being of justice-involved families: a structural violence perspective”. This project seeks to explore how policing interactions in the form of surveillance as well as other community-level forms of harm (such as community disorganization, lack of safety) shape health and well being. My research team is utilizing mixed methods approaches to explore this which include photovoice, interviewing and analysis of police arrest data. Our team is partnering with Chicago community residents to implement a community exhibit and series of community forums to share their experiences and stories, as well as raise awareness and policy understanding about these critical issues. My team and I are also creating a website highlighting participants’ stories and photographic data as an advocacy tool to elevate local community voices and disseminate critical knowledge to inform criminal justice policy.
Moreover, I am continuing my research commitments to partnering with women to examine the ethical considerations of conducting community-based research with formerly incarcerated women in efforts to amplify their stories of trauma and resiliency. Through my partnership with Fordham University, I facilitate workshops and raise awareness advancing greater anti-oppressive research techniques when working with marginalized communities.
I also have burgeoning interests in examining how individuals with criminal justice involvement navigate higher educational systems and surveillance as they pursue college degrees and healthier social and professional identities.
My Approach
I started out wanting to deepen my understanding of how different sources of stigma shape the mental health and well being of communities with histories of incarceration. Stigma is a critical driver of health disparities for marginalized individuals. It can affect how one engages with needed social services, with one's community, their family, and with themselves. Formerly incarcerated communities face marks of devaluation attached to their criminal justice involvement, illness experiences, race/ethnicity and even their parenting roles.
My stigma interests led me to becoming interested in examining how other structural level forms of harm, such as community violence and surveillance (in the form of policing) impact one’s mental and physical health and sense of stigmatization. As such, I then partnered with scholars in the Public Health discipline and an organization on the west side of Chicago to explore this. Over the past three years we have been developing our partnership so that we can best advocate for, and advance the needs of some of Chicago’s most marginalized communities facing stigma, poverty and system surveillance. Moreover, I am still engaged in developing interventions to address the ways in which stigma and trauma shape healing for women who have been incarcerated.
Recent Publications
